2 Years Ago Today

March 31st, 2012 at approximately 8:30 pm

It was in the basement of a house in Sugarhouse where his friends lived.
I was home that weekend from Utah State
+ had just started hanging out with a new group of girls
who happened to be hanging out with a new group of guys.
I had been told he was the perfect boy for me;
he had been told I was the perfect girl for him.
(He had also already stalked my Facebook.)

My group of friends + I
+ this darling group of boys
had been hanging out for about a half hour or so
but HE was no where to be found.
His friends said he was coming late from a Jazz game.

I was sitting on the couch directly facing the door leading into the basement.
+ then there HE was
running down the stairs
in maroon jeans, a white tee,
and a buzzed haircut (don't worry, that isn't allowed now)
that had a red-ish tint from some Sun-In a friend put in his hair while he was asleep at the pool.
His friends + my girlfriends all yelled "BRENNANNNNNNNN!"
+ he was smiling from ear to ear.
He was the most adorable thing I had ever seen.

We were introduced + he sat right across from me.
+ started asking "get to know you" questions along with the rest of his friends.
I was nerrrrvousss.
+awkward.
When they asked me what my favorite movie was,
I think I blurted out "Warrior" (it had just come out at the time)
because that was a guys movie + maybe that would be HIS favorite movie too?
Hahaha.
Anything to impress HIM.

Over the next hour or two of hanging out,
I picked up on some things about HIM.
one- He was very well liked by everyone. You could tell he was a great friend.
two- He would laugh at anything anyone would say. + he would laugh hard-but not too hard. It was sincere.
three- He was genuinely interested in what you had to say. He really cared.
four- He had nice arms.
five- He was truly trying to get to know me, no matter how awkward + shy I was being.

I loved the feeling he brought to the room.
+ I knew he needed to be a part of my life. A big part.
But it wasn't until almost the end of the night,
while he was smiling and laughing about something someone said,
that the thought crossed my mind:
"What if I marry that boy? What if that's who I am going to marry?"
I loved that thought.

Cubby's for the win

Yes, we went to Cubby’s again this weekend. We came up with two ideas for our Saturday night: either go to Fashion Place mall and then the Cheesecake Factory, or go down to Provo for Cubby’s & Swig. Cubby’s won- it’s THAT good- & totally worth the drive. You should be proud of yourself Cubby.

Lately I’ve been catching myself being so worried about Brennan’s safety. I’m always texting him to make sure he’s wearing his seatbelt, and I’ve probably told him to “drive so safe!” 1,829,305,664 times since I’ve met him. Late Thursday night, he ran over to our sister-in-law’s to get a haircut, and I stayed home to finish up some laundry.

It had been a while, so I texted him and asked if he was safe, and he said yes and that he was heading home now! Well 25 minutes pass (their house is 10 minutes away), and he’s still not home.

So I text him again, “Are you still driving safe?”

no response

Again- “Babe??”

no response

So then I realize, duh he’s driving, I don’t want him texting me back anyway, so I call him.

no response

So then I of course burst into tears, thinking of the absolute worse scenarios possible, about to go search for him on the side of the road, and then my phone rings, and it’s him. He had left his phone on 'do not disturb' mode from earlier in the day when he was at work, and just as he was texting me that he was heading home, he got caught up in another conversation with our brother & sister-in-law.

He felt SO BAD for scaring me like that.

And I felt bad for getting so worried! Is this normal? Or am I a crazy wife? I think maybe I'm a crazy wife.

On a lighter note, I got the facial of a lifetime this weekend, and my March Madness bracket is in 2^nd place at work. Winner gets lunch of their choice. Do you think they’d go for Cubby’s?

Our Wedding Video

Bren & I both cried a little watching our wedding video for the first time in bed this morning. I can't believe that was six months ago TODAY! A huge thank you to NP Films for blowing us away with this video! Nate couldn't have captured the day any better. I'm not sure I will ever have a more perfect day in my life. I can't wait to show our little ones someday.

Here is also the Vimeo link: http://vimeo.com/89454318

(p.s. Please try to ignore how sad and scary my hair looks near the end of the night. Can't win 'em all I guess.)

What I wish I would've known when I was getting married...

I was inspired to write this post while talking with a newly engaged friend of mine who was asking for all the wedding advice I could give her! I loved telling her everything I wish I would have known at the time, and thought that maybe some other future brides could benefit as well. I'm not saying I know everything when it comes to weddings, I'm not saying my wedding was anywhere close to perfect, and I'm not forcing you to take any of this advice. In fact, most of it is just my opinion. But if you find any of it useful, then great! It was fun to write and reminisce. 

Here are 20 things I wish I would've known when I was getting married (and also just some advice I learned along the way)...

1. As you already know, your wedding photographer is the number one most important thing- spend the money on a good one. HOWEVER, you cannot just put every ounce of trust into them and not have to worry about a thing, unfortunately. On your wedding day, as hard as it may be, try to be on top of the whole picture taking process. For example: I was completely in my own world loving life, and didn't get a picture with just my mom and I, which still breaks my heart to this day. I thought my photographer would be on top of it, but NOPE, you can't rely on that. Also, thanks to Pinterest, we have extremely high standards for wedding pictures these days. If there is an exact pose you want that you've seen on Pinterest, you need to show your photographer during your engagement or bridal session. You can't expect them to know every magical Pinterest pose out there. And if you want that picture, you have every right to get it, and to get it right. You are paying them a lot of money, and pictures (and videos) are the only thing you have to capture the day. Be picky, and be a bridezilla with your pictures. And last: when you first look through your wedding pictures, after waiting for months and being so excited you can't even take it, there's an 80% chance you will be disappointed at first. Look through them, then give it a few days, and look through them again, and you will LOVE them, I promise. The second time you put all those dumb expectations aside and love the pictures because they are yours, and no one else's. 

2. Don't wear your actual wedding shoes the day of your bridals if you are taking them outside, like in some sort of field. They will get so dirty, and you won't even see them in pictures. I had to get new shoes for my wedding day. 

3. For your engagements and bridals (if you are taking them outside), rub your arms, chest, and any other skin showing with bounce sheets so you don't get bug bites. It really works and doesn't have the awful bug spray scent.

4. If you will be using birth control when you are married, get on it as soon as you can once you are engaged, or even before if possible. Why? Because some birth controls make you crazy, some make you mean, some make you gain weight, some make you have no sex drive, the list goes on and on. You may need to try a few to find one you like, and you definitely want to get that out of the way before getting married. 

5. If you are only going to serve desserts at your reception, that's totally fine, but you need to put it on your invitation, or people are going to get mad when they show up starving and expecting dinner, and you only have a pastry for them. They will go across the street to Taco Bell, eat, and then come back, and when people ask them how your wedding was, they'll say, "Great but I was starving, there was no food!" -NO GOOD. If you put something like "light desserts served" or "dessert buffet" on your invite, then they know to eat before! Problem solved. 

6. DO NOT SHOW YOUR FIANCE YOUR DRESS BEFORE YOU TAKE YOUR BRIDALS. I do not understand people who show their groom a picture of them in the dressing room with their wedding dress on. The first look is everything. It's when you feel like a princess most. Get pictures of the first look (and a video if you want). It really is that important. You will never forget that moment.

7. Have a bridesmaid or family member have mints, bobby pins, your lip stain, chapstick, and a mini lint roller on hand at all times. You never know if your great aunt is going to wear a bright pink sweater, hug your husband, and get fuzzies all over him. You've gotta be prepared. 

8. After you have a trial run of your wedding day hair, SHAKE YOUR HEAD AROUND LIKE A MAD WOMAN. I did not do this and had to learn the hard way. My hair was totally falling out all over the place. It didn't fall out at all during my bridals so I thought I was completely fine, but your wedding day is a whole other animal. People are hugging you and grabbing your veil and pulling it down and touching it, so you really want to test it out during your trial run and see how well it holds up. 

9. When taking pictures on your wedding day, you always want to face the side of your head that has more hair out to the picture. For example, if your hair is coming down to one side and the other side is just your ear, make sure your ear side is by your groom and the other side of your head, the actual hairdo, is facing out. That's your good side that day. 

10. DO NOT RUN through your send off line if you want your pictures to turn out! These are some of the most fun pictures, yet so many of them get ruined because the bride and groom are racing through it. Smile a lot, stop and kiss, just walk a normal pace through, and you will love how the pictures turn out. 

11. Want to know what's secretly even more important than the photographer? The videographer. Because what is better than literal FOOTAGE from your all time favorite day? It's like your own personal movie starring you. 

12. You need to buy a lip STAIN for your wedding day. Please don't make your groom have pink or red lips all day. You will be able to tell in pictures, and he will secretly hate life if he's constantly worrying about it. Go to Sephora or Ulta and ask for help. There's tons. NYX has some awesome ones. Even Covergirl has a great one. It looks kind of like a pen. 

13. Eat breakfast the morning of your wedding, no matter how anxious you may be, or those 2-3 hours of taking pictures on the temple grounds after will be the longest 2-3 hours of your life. Force something down. 

14. Tell your photographer pre-wedding day that you'd like them to take all friend pictures first at the temple the day of. Friends that come are often leaving work and missing school, so they appreciate when you get their pictures out of the way first so they aren't just sitting watching all of the family pictures.

15. Do not pack the Carinessa garment bottoms for your honeymoon (if you are going somewhere warm). They are way too long for dresses and skirts and you will be stressed that what you brought isn't working. I love the cotton bottoms. Try to familiarize yourself with all garment options as soon as you go through the temple, and you'll find your favorites.

16. Serve the cake at your wedding- it's a lot of people's favorite part of weddings. Don't do some layers in styrofoam, it's just as expensive as real cake.

17. You have a LOT to recover from after the craziness of your wedding week (it is emotionally draining) and will spend a lot more time sleeping on your honeymoon than you think. Keep that in mind before you book a flight to Thailand, New York, Costa Rica, San Francisco, or somewhere where you will feel guilty sleeping all the time, even though that's what your body needs most. You're going to want to go on a relaxing vacation, not an adventurous trip.

18. Always have your fiance or dad there at the end of each bridal shower to carry everything to the car and then into the house. Some of the stuff is so much heavier than you think!

19. Don't forget your groom's boutineer or wedding ring the day of bridals. The whole point of bridals is to have pictures appearing married that you won't have time to get the day of, and often in different scenery. 

20. Take in every single moment that day. I can't say that enough. It flies by, and you're a bride for one day and one day only. So soak it up, because it is the best day of your entire life. 

A Week of Firsts

Last Saturday, we went to Cubby's in Provo for the first time. It was love at first bite. Instantly our new favorite restaurant. Far exceeded our expectations. And even though Bren keeps calling it "Chubby's", he cannot stop talking or dreaming about the burger he had there. But really, the Tri-Tip Steak Salad & sweet potato fries are the way to go.

After that, we went and saw my good friends' band, Westward the Tide, perform for the first time! It was a show for their new album release, and to say they blew us away is an understatement. I'm so blessed to know such talented people.

But those aren't the only firsts of the past week...

-Bren & I made guacamole together for the first time. We followed Chipotle's recipe (found on Pinterest), so of course it was the best guac we've ever had. 

-The first start of a new tradition, a weekly sister date with Ar. This week was at The Dodo and so much fun. I love my darling sister.

-First time trying the oatmeal chocolate chip cookie from Swig. INSERT HEART EYES HERE.

-First raise at my new job. 

-First time wondering if I should grow my bangs out or not. My phone is also full of the pictures that popped up after I typed in "Julianne Hough Safe Haven hair." Going through a bit of a hair decision crisis. 

-First time watching this recent season of The Bachelor, and it happened to be the night of the finale. Didn't take me long to hate Juan Pablo, but I did appreciate him for saying, "I wish the earth sucked me today" and almost falling off the couch from laughing so hard. 

Sunday Afternoon

A lazy Sunday afternoon, approximately 3:30 pm, on our couch:

Brennan: "Do you think we love each other more than other couples?"

Me: "I don't know, do you?"

Brennan: "Ya I really do think so."

Me: "Oh that makes me so happy. Let's always keep it like that k?"

Brennan: "K."

A Little Getaway

Our little getaway (with some of our favorite people), summed up:

Roadtripped while listening to James Taylor & Ted Talks + hiking + going to The Orange Peel 4 times + shopping (St. George's TJ Maxx is the mother of all TJ Maxxs) + Swig + tennis+ sleeping in until 11 everyday + watching About Time + Luke's first time in a pool + read this entire blog from start to finish (warning you, you will cry) + laying in the sun + golf (well, for the boys) + pretending it was summer

Comedy Night

Our Friday night consisted of

celebrating Brennan's last day of work at Wells Fargo

with

good food at La Jolla Groves

and a hilarious, goofy guy named Brian Regan who had us laughing non stop for an hour or so

with family

and our new friends, 

 who also like room temperature water, only order diet lemonade at 

Chick-Fil-A, and twin husbands who tell their wives to "hold on a sec" and turn up the TV when an athlete is being interviewed after a game. 

It's a match made in heaven, really.

The whole night was heaven too.

Because is there anything better than laughing?

xo